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Development and Reliability of 2 Visual-Cognitive Dual-Task Agility Assessments for Return to Sport
Ava L Schwartz1, Kylie A McGlone1, Grant E Norte1
1Cognition, Neuroplasticity, & Sarcopenia Lab, Institute of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation Science, School of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.
Journal of Sport Rehabilitation
|September 30, 2025
Summary
New agility tests combining physical and cognitive demands show good reliability for return to sport assessments. These visual-cognitive dual-task assessments improve ecological validity by simulating sport-specific attentional challenges.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Biomechanics
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Current return to sport assessments primarily evaluate anticipated movements.
- Athletic performance relies heavily on unanticipated movements and complex visual-cognitive processing.
- There is a need for more ecologically valid assessments that reflect real-sport demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the test-retest reliability of two agility tests augmented with visual-cognitive dual tasks.
- To enhance the ecological validity of return to sport assessments by simulating sport-specific attentional demands.
- To compare performance on traditional agility tests versus those with integrated visual-cognitive challenges.
Main Methods:
- The study assessed test-retest reliability of agility tests using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1).
- Twenty-six participants completed traditional and visual-cognitive dual-task versions of the 5-10-5 Shuttle and Agility T-test over two sessions.
- Performance metrics included split time, total time, and reaction time, with dual-task effect (DTE) calculated.
Main Results:
- Both traditional and augmented Agility T-tests demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC3,1 = .97).
- The 5-10-5 Shuttle with a visual-cognitive dual task showed good-to-excellent reliability for split and total times (ICC3,1 = .96), but poor-to-moderate reliability for reaction time (ICC3,1 = .75).
- Visual-cognitive tasks significantly slowed 5-10-5 Shuttle performance (DTE = -24.24% split, -13.31% total) but not the Agility T-test (DTE = -1.51%).
Conclusions:
- Augmented agility assessments, particularly the Agility T-test with visual-cognitive demands, offer reliable and potentially more ecologically valid measures for return to sport.
- The visual-cognitive dual-task approach effectively challenges athletes' attentional capacities during agility testing.
- These findings support the integration of visual-cognitive elements into sport-specific performance evaluations to better predict readiness for return to sport.
